Hollywood Debriefs: The Fockers,' Livestreaming the Oscars, and the Golden Penskes

The Golden Globe nominations were announced a couple of days ago, but they are not particularly newsworthy anymore because they are owned by the same outfit that runs Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, TVLine, Gold Derby, IndieWire, and Billboard, among others. The ethical implications of Penske Media owning both the awards and the media outlets that cover them are troubling, as it raises questions about impartiality and the integrity of the coverage. It’s a sham, and they make the Penske Kids breathlessly cover it. We’re not going to cover all the nominations, but if you’re trying to figure out what to watch ahead of the legitimate awards season, here are the movie noms. I have a few to catch up on myself.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nickel Boys
September 5

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Anora
Challengers
Emilia Pérez
A Real Pain
The Substance
Wicked

Elsewhere, for those who actually do enjoy watching the Oscars but cut the cord a while back, there’s good news! For the first time, the Oscars will also be streaming on Hulu, in addition to airing on ABC. This makes sense. TV viewing, for instance, hit a nine-month high in November, and 41 percent of it was streaming compared to only 23 percent for broadcast television, which included the World Series and the NFL. This will almost certainly prove to be a huge boon for Oscar ratings, as even I couldn’t watch the Oscars live last year. The Oscars used to be watched by more than 50 million viewers; now it’s down to around 20 million. This move should elevate those ratings significantly. Having Conan O’Brien should help, too.

In development news: It’s been 14 years since the third Meet the Parents movie, Little Fockers, which somehow managed to earn $310 million worldwide. Deadline reports that Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, Blythe Danner, and Teri Polo are all in early talks to return for a fourth film, which I can only assume will see Ben Stiller inhabiting the old DeNiro role while DeNiro suddenly goes soft for the adult grandkids. It’s tentatively titled, F**king Fockers (no, it’s not).

Finally, I could not be more excited to see that Final Destination 6 has a release date: May 16, 2025. It will come in between Marvel’s Thunderbolts and the final Mission Impossible film. It won’t gross more than either of those films, but I bet it’s more profitable. It’s also worth noting that Final Destination: Bloodlines stars Tony Todd in one of his final projects.